(From company literature) Manfrotto 714B Digi. The most compact, full-size tripod in the Manfrotto range and designed for the new compact digital and conventional point and shoot cameras.

Manfrotto engineers were careful not to comprimise stability for size and weight reduction. The incredibly short folded length of just over 17" was achieved with two engineering breakthroughs. First, the leg pivot was re-designed with a unique single hinge allowing the leg to fold shorter than conventional designs. Secondly, an integral ballhead is recessed into the main shoulder casting for transport.

But that's not all! This compact ballhead allows a preset but adjustable tension to be set so that all you have to do is point the camera and shoot. No more locking off handles before you take that shot! This adjustment is done with a handle found on the bottom of the column, set it for your camera and forget it, then just aim and shoot. If you want to lock it down, just turn the handle further and it will lock off the head.

The 714B also features quick-action leg locks for fast set-up and breakdown, and an innovative three faceted center column design prevents any column rotation. A rucksack-style bag (MBAGD) is also included.

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 9

Pros:

Great build quality, and so much better than most small tripods

Cons:

Can't really use with SLR

For cameras under the size of a full SLR this is an excellent purchase. It is quite light and very compact. The design keeps it a lot more sturdy than all those cheep tripods with plastic all over the place. Integrating the head into the column also works well. Best not to extend the lowest leg section all the way though (I put little paint marks on to help levelling), but if you need it to go high you can raise the column almost to full height without loosing too much stability.